Tales From Lu Bin
by InuFan-Kenhandora
Summary: Min is from the Earth Kingdom. Suren is a Fire Nation colonist, soldier, and son of a powerful captain. Together, their story of love and friendship unfolds as the war the Avatar fights rages on. OC Story set in the Avatar: TLA world.


**CHAPTER ONE**

We all know the story of Avatar Aang and his adventures with his friends. We know of the amazing feats that they have accomplished, and being so young while doing it. They have faced many hardships and seen many great and terrible things along the way. However, they are not the only people in the world affected by the war the Fire Nation has started and they are not the only people who have ever fought against the Fire Nation without a guarantee of success. While Aang will be the one to stop the Fire Lord, it is the ordinary people throughout the world who will ultimately end this war. They will take inspiration from what Avatar Aang has accomplished and use it to strengthen their own resolve. This is just such a story.

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_--Somewhere in the Earth Kingdom--_

"Imlateimlateimlateimlateimlate!" Min said to herself as she ran through the tall grass towards the wall that loomed in front of her. She could feel the wind rushing in her face and whistling past her ears as she jumped over a few rocks and stumbled a bit as the land sloped downwards towards the tall gate in the distance. She panted as she got her balance and shook her head, scolding herself out loud. "Mam is going to be so mad at me! I was s'posed to be home a while ago."

There were several carts of supplies being led into the city through the gate, and she weaved her way through them effortlessly, ducking whenever she saw Fire Nation soldiers coming by to check the contents of the carts. Her city, Lu Bin: the Green Coast, was one of many along the eastern coast of the Earth Kingdom that had been taken over by the Fire Nation colonists long before she had even been born. Like most, hers had started out as a small fishing village that stood no chance against the invading soldiers, who quickly took control. The first thing they did was build the wall, using captured earth benders. Only, the wall was never meant to keep anyone out, but to keep the citizens of Lu Bin in.

That was the reason why Min was being so cautious getting back into the city. She wasn't supposed to be outside the wall. True, there was plenty of space on the inside for her to roam, but it was not enough for her. She wanted to see the sea, in all of its blue-green splendor. It wasn't visible from the inside. Of course, there were visa's one could get to leave, but they were rare and hard to get, and were never given to underage children like herself. If she were to get caught, they'd probably punish her in ways that made her shiver where she stood.

"You, girl!" barked a voice, that made her jump. Her head whipped back to see a soldier coming towards her. She broke into a run, cutting off the carts that were forming a neat single file line into the city. Right behind her was the soldier that had caught her sneaking back in, accompanied by two of his comrades. She was too fast for them though. She had done this too many times to be caught. Finally she made it to the gate and jumped into cart carrying apples and other fruits, clambering up to the driver, startling him as she bounded just out of the grasp of the soldiers. She broke out in a full out run, leaving them far behind her. They wouldn't chase her any further than the gate. She wasn't worth the effort anyway. After all she was just some lowly Earth Kingdom peasant.

Min stopped and looked behind her after she had gained some distance, laughing at the mess that she has made at the gate and stuck her tongue out in that direction. "They'll never catch me."

She laughed again, and flipped her long braid over her shoulder. She let herself catch her breath for a moment, then started running again, knowing that though she escaped punishment from the Fire Nation, nothing would save her from her Mam's wrath for coming home to dinner late. All of a sudden she felt something hot rush past her that made her fall to her knees and cover her head. When she looked up again, she could see a fireball flying towards her and she fell to her stomach to avoid getting hit. And Min could hear shouting coming from the distance and for a second thought the soldiers at the gate had gotten some initiative and come after her. It was only after a moment that she realized where she was.

"The practice fields." Min mumbled to herself as she got to her feet again. She had wandered off course into one of the worst places to end up. The practice fields were where the soldiers came to improve their skills, and where they trained the newest recruits from the colonies youth. If she was lucky, it was the skilled soldiers practicing and not some poor-aimed new recruit. She jumped to her feet, knowing she couldn't very well stay there without getting in trouble. She started running again, trying to stay ahead of the fireballs whirling past her towards targets at the far end of the field. However, she was too worried about getting burned and didn't watch where she was stepping and tripped over a metal stake sticking up from the dirt.

As she fell, she could feel her ankle twist as it caught around the stake and she fell to the ground with a hard thump, crying out as she hit hard dirt. After a dazed moment, she came to her senses and curled up in pain, holding her wounded leg as she let out quiet sobs. She could hear footsteps come thumping towards her and felt the dirt get kicked up into her face.

"Sir, it's one of the earth peasants." A voice reported. She wiped her eyes and stared up at the people swarming her. A young man with dark hair was addressing and older man who wore the clothes of a Fire Nation captain.

"Stupid peasants." Growled the older man, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her to her feet, looking down at her ferociously. "What the hell are you doing out here, you stupid girl?"

"I was just on my way home, sir! I didn't mean to interrupt your practice." She cowered as she spoke, dropping her eyes away from his in fear that his eyes might burn her own out of her head.

"Well, then get out of here. Go on! And next time watch where the hell you're at." The man released his vice-like grip on her arm and pushed her away. Her ankle still hurt something terrible, but she didn't want to be around there any longer than she had to. She took a few meager steps, judging just how much weight she could put on her ankle, but fell in pain when she put too much pressure on it. She cried out and fell down, the tears snaking their way down her cheeks as she got back up again, wobbling a bit. She saw the younger soldier look back towards her and spoke briefly to captain before walking back over to her.

"Hey, girl, let me help you." He said, giving her a small smile as he extended his hand to her.

"No, I'm fine." Min shook her head nervously, trying to take a few more steps before having to stop and lean against a post, and then started walking again. She could feel the hot tears rolling down her face, and every step felt more difficult than the last. She almost wondered if she had broken something. She sniffled quietly, and the felt someone come up behind her and grab her arm.

She turned to see the young soldier putting her arm over his shoulders and wrapping an arm around her to help her walk. Min looked at him strangely, but he gave her another smile. "I don't think you're as fine as you think. Just let me help you. Now, where do you live?"

"The third road off the main wall, it's the house where the stairs are missing a step." She said quietly as he led her home.

"My name's Suren, by the way." He remarked, making small talk as he guided her along the roads.

"Hi." Min could feel her face turning red as she saw people staring at her strangely, and all she wanted was to disappear. She was sure that her parents would hear about this before they saw it. Word often traveled fast among the earth peasants. As they rounded the corner to the narrow road that led to her home, she could already see her father rushing from the doorway towards her. Without a word he gathered her up in his arms and took her away from the soldier. Min turned away and pressed her face into her father's shoulder as he spoke to the young man.

"Thank you for returning my daughter." Her father said gruffly, giving him a nasty look. Suren didn't say anything to him, but simply turned away from them as her mother rushed down from the porch, jumping over the missing step to embrace her daughter.

"Min! What in the world were you doing!" her mother said in a hushed voice as her father carried her into the house and set her onto a pillow on the floor.

"I was coming home Mam, for dinner, and I fell and got hurt. Please don't be mad!" Min made a sad face at her mother as she spoke, letting her mother gently assess her injured ankle.

"That's not what she meant little girl." There was a bit of anger in her father's voice as he spoke to her. "Why did that fire bender have to bring you back? I bet you were causing all sorts of trouble again. Taro's father told me that you managed to 'stumble' onto the practice field. And I'll bet my last coin that you were gallivanting on the other side of the wall again. How many times have I told you to quit acting like such a foolish child, Min?!"

"But, Papa, I...I'm not a child." Min's stuttered, feeling hurt by her father's words.

"You certainly don't act like an adult. Sometimes I wonder if there's even a brain in that head of yours." He scoffed as he walked away, grumbling to himself as he wandered into the other room.

"Papa doesn't like me much anymore." Min crossed her arms and looked towards her mother, who was busily wrapping her ankle in a tight bandage.

"Papa loves you Min, and so do I, but I can't help but agree with him. You're seventeen, but you act like your seven. You won't be able to get away with so much anymore, not before the Fire Nation throws you in jail." Her mother smiled at her, and caressed her cheek with her hand. "You are my only daughter, my only baby, and I only want the best for you. So does Papa."

"But Mam, I can't stand to be trapped behind these walls much longer. I'm not strong like you or Papa. I'm…I'm like Great Gran Seki, I love the ocean." Min wiped away a tear from her cheek, and placed her hand over her mothers. "All I want is to be free from this cage."

"You aren't the only one who wishes that baby girl." Both the girl and her mother were caught off guard as Papa spoke calmly. "The people of Lu Bin would fight to their last breath to retake the city, if there were any chance of success. But we have to face the facts. There are no earth benders left to fight. They've all been taken away in chains, or fled in the middle of the night to other places. There is no chance for us. All we can do is hope the Avatar returns to stop the Fire Nation from world domination."

"Now, I think that's enough talking about such gloomy topics. Supper is getting cold." Mam said, changing the subject. Min nodded as her father helped her to the table. Her Mam served the food, and they ate in silence.

After supper, Min helped clear off the table, her ankle feeling a little better now that it was wrapped and she had time to rest it. She limped a little when she walked, but it didn't hurt so much to put pressure on it. Papa had wandered off to the neighbors to play Pai Sho with the other men of the neighborhood, like they did every night about that time. Mam went off to do some sewing and light some candles to brighten the house as night fell over the city.

While her mother did that, Min found herself a comfortable spot on the front porch, listening as the city quieted down for the evening. A nice breeze had come in and the cool air was refreshing. Still, she couldn't feel content. _This is not how the world should be. I should be free to do whatever I please. It just so frustrating!_ Min threw herself down onto a pillow that had gotten left outside and screamed into it.

"Are you okay?" A familiar voice asked. Min sat up straight and tucked a few strands of her black hair behind her ear. Standing at the bottom of the steps was the soldier who had helped her home earlier that day. He wasn't wearing armor like he was earlier that day, but instead wore a short sleeved red shirt tied loosely over dark gray slacks that were tucked into his boots. He almost seemed docile. She felt a shiver run up her spine as he took another step forward.

"I'm fine." She said, barely able to get out the words. She didn't like how friendly he was acting towards her. _This guy is a creep. What the hell does he want? He's probably looking for a way to get me arrested. Arrogant fire bender._

"Well, ahem, I just wanted to see how your ankle was doing. You took a pretty big spill out on the practice fields." Suren folded his arms behind his back and took a step back, seeing that he was making the girl uncomfortable. Min just stared at him blankly. She was still trying to figure out what his angle was. However, she was still tired and frustrated, and the last thing she wanted to do was show courtesy to some fire bender.

"Why do you even care, anyway? Are you looking for some kind of thank you or reward for your good deed, because if you are, we don't give handouts of _any_ kind to the Fire Nation." She blurted out in a snotty tone, slapping her hands over her mouth barely a moment after it stopped moving. She could see the frown fading quickly away from the young man's face and feared for a moment the repercussions of her words. The only thing that stopped her from bursting into tears was the fact that he burst into laughter at her remark.

"Is that what you Earth Kingdom folks really think of us colonists?" Suren smiled broadly at her, trying to get her to relax a little bit. "I assure you that most of us aren't as cruel or politically driven as the ones you must be used to. Some of us are just as nice of folks as you, and we do actually show concern for others."

"I shouldn't be talking with you." Min stated, standing abruptly and heading towards the door.

"Why?" he asked. Suren furrowed his brows. He was genuinely concerned about the girl. She seemed the nice sort, and he hated the fact that the earlier colonists had driven such a fear into the local people that they didn't even dare talk to them.

"You'll get me in trouble, that's why." She replied, turning back to him and placing a hand on her hip.

"With the other soldiers? You don't have to worry about that." He told her. "This time of day they are too lazy to care a wit about anything but getting home for supper."

"It's not the soldiers, it's my father. Our kind don't associate with your kind." She said, turning away and leaning heavily against the porch railing.

Suren smirked to himself. She was dead set on getting him to go away. Too bad that he was probably as stubborn as she was. He walked over and stood in front of her again, locking eyes with her. "Your kind and my kind? We're all just people. There's no 'kind' here."

"Really, what do you want? Because you're starting to annoy me." Min growled a bit, playing with the end of her braid.

"Is it so much to ask to be friends? I'm just like you, you know. Born and raised right here in the Earth Kingdom. My sister the same. Because maybe if you gave me a chance, you wouldn't think I'm some sneaky, conniving ass just because I happen to be a fire bender." He extended a hand to her politely. "I really did come to see if you were okay, considering I didn't get the chance before your parents swarmed in and swept you away. And right now, you look like you could use someone to talk to."

Min took his hand hesitantly, and he led her down the steps, helping her over the one that was missing. For some reason, she could sense that his intentions were genuine. She glanced back over her shoulder at the quiet house behind her, then turned to him and spoke softly "I suppose that it can't hurt to talk to you."

"Good to hear." he smiled softly to her as they walked down the now empty street, lit only by the glow of candles from nearby houses.

"However, that doesn't mean that I trust you." She said firmly. He chuckles softly and smiled at her.

"Well, that's too bad then. Can't win them all though I suppose." He told her. She glanced at him as they rounded the corner onto the main road. He was very unusual for a fire bender. She expected him to be crueler than he was acting. She had heard stories and had seen first hand how brutal the soldiers could be. The thoughts made her shudder.

"So, where are we going anyway?" She asked. The awkward silence was starting to get to her.

"I dunno. Just for a walk around. Maybe find somewhere to have a talk?" He suggested.

Min paused to think for a moment. She still wasn't to sure that she trusted him or his intentions, but he had yet to make a threatening move towards her. She sighed to herself. She wanted to tell him off, but she wasn't a cruel person. "Hey fire bender, have you ever been out to see the sea?"

"Um, a few times, why do you ask?" Suren furrowed his brows a bit and looked at her as she smiled a bit. He could see that her expression had changed from one of cold annoyance to one a little more comfortable, if slightly devious.

"I bet you've never seen it like I've seen it." She smirked slightly and grabbed his arm, leading him to the far end of the city where hills sloped high up on the wall, but not high enough to be able to get over them. They made their way up the steep grassy slope until they were almost at the top, taking their time since her ankle still bothered her some. Min spun around and beamed a bright smile as she pointed out towards the sea. "There, do you see how beautiful it is?"

Suren turned and looked off in the direction she was pointing. Up over the far wall he could see how the coast curved into a small bay on either edge of the city. And he could see the waves crashing onto those distant shores. He could also see how the sea seemed almost black at that time of night. Beside him he heard Min sigh contentedly as she flopped herself down on to the ground, gazing up at the night sky as she folded her hands over her stomach.

"It's spectacular. I don't think I've ever see the sea from this high up." He told her as he sat down next to her, draping an arm over one propped up knee. She looked up at him and frowned a bit.

"For most of us here, this is the only way to see anything other than the walls that keep us locked in here. But I'm sure you've been out to sea plenty of times, being a soldier." She commented, sitting up again and pulling her knees up to her chest before resting her chin on them.

"Not really. I've only ever seen it from the shores. I haven't been deployed to sea yet. Honestly, I hope I never have to." Suren spoke softly, scanning the city below. It seemed so quiet from this far away. "It scares me, you know, being such a young man who's forced into fighting a war for a nation I've never even set foot in."

"Oh." Min said quietly. She had assumed that because he was a soldier he must have experienced the ways of war and she had assumed that as a fire bender, he wasn't scared of anything. The fact that he now seemed much more human startled her.

"What were you thinking about?" He asked, scratching the back of his head casually.

"When?" She replied with a yawn. It was a little late, and she knew that her parents would be missing her by now, but for some reason, she cared very little. She felt unusually comfortable sitting here on a hilltop, staring at the sea and talking with someone who was supposed to be here enemy.

"When you were screaming into a pillow." He chuckled.

Min smiled softly and spoke. "About freedom. As someone who has lived her entire life as a…a prisoner to another nation, and who has never had the choice of where I want to go or the option to do what I want to do, I don't have the freedoms you do. I was frustrated, wishing that I could escape this place and go somewhere the Fire Nation wasn't."

"So why don't you?" Suren asked.

"It's not that easy. Do you know how many people tried to escape from here? Too many." She answered. "More than half got caught escaping and were never seen from again. Now we are too afraid to leave. Those that have escaped will probably end up as captives of the Fire Nation eventually. This world is just so messed up!"

Suren watched as she flopped back onto the ground again with an exasperated breath. He hadn't realized that the people here felt so oppressed. He had always assumed that they would be glad to serve under the glory of the Fire Nation, because it would bring the world into a new era of glory. _Who wouldn't want that?_ He thought on it a bit, and shook his head with frustration.

"What about you? You obviously wanted to talk to me about something, or else you wouldn't have shown up at my home." Min tucked her hands under her head as she spoke. "And don't feed me that crap about wondering if I was okay."

"I was thinking," he paused to get some straight thought in his head. _Why did I go back there?_ "I was thinking about, about too many things. Mostly about being shipped out to sea eventually. And I suppose I was wondering why you were wandering around the practice fields. And you seemed to have an interesting personality. I've never had a, an Earth Kingdom person, mouth off to me before."

"More of us would if we didn't fear being arrested and thrown in jail, or worse, having something happen to our families." Min spoke nonchalantly. She had seen it too many times before for the thought of it to even faze her anymore. "And I can understand not wanting to leave behind everything you ever knew. As for why I was on the practice fields, well, let's just say I need to pay better attention to where I'm going."

It was quiet after that, save for the subtle yawn and sigh, and the two sat there for some time, just staring at the ocean over the wall. After a while, Min started to doze off, and decided that she'd better get home before she fell asleep on the hilltop. She stood abruptly, startling Suren who had fallen asleep too. The hair from his topknot had come loose and a few strands dangled at his shoulders. Min smiled to herself. He definitely seemed human now.

"Are you leaving?" He asked, stretching his arms out as he stood up too. "Let me walk you back."

"Don't bother." Min was already making her way down the hill as he got up. "It'll be bad if I get caught sneaking in with a soldier. But have a nice night, fire bender."

"My name is Suren." He jogged to catch up with her. "By the way, I never caught your name."

"Min Fa Lee." She said with a quick bow. "Earth Kingdom peasant."

"Well Min, can I ask you one last thing before you go?" He questioned.

"Sure, ask away." She replied stopping and turning to face him.

"Can we be friends?" He watched as Min blinked a few times, obviously surprised by his request.

She frowned a bit, and then smiled brightly. She wasn't sure how he did it, but he had managed to make her trust him. And it might not be that bad of an idea to make friends with a soldier. She never knew what might happen where she might need a friend like him. "Why not? But I have to go, goodnight."

"Goodnight!" Suren called as they split ways, speaking with a smile. "Min."


End file.
